Wolf's Heart
by Cloud van Dyk
Summary: When taking a walk in the woods, Cloud and Tifa are attacked by a wolf. Cloud gets bitten, and from that day on, weird things happen to him...
1. Wolf Attacks

Wolf's Heart  ****

Wolf's Heart 

"Tifa!" Cloud yelled, running up the stairs to Tifa's room. "Where are you, honey?" Tifa came out of her room, only dressed into a big towel she had wrapped around her body. Her hair was soaking wet, and water ran down her long legs. Cloud stared at her in awe, his jaw hitting the floor. Tifa giggled and playfully slapped her boyfriend on his cute butt. "Stop staring, gentlemen don't do that." she teased him. "Never said I am a gentlemen." Cloud grinned, before asking what he wanted to. "Wanna go on a walk with me?" "Sure, why not. Just wait a second, I'll get dressed." "Okay." Cloud leaned casually against the wall and watched his beloved walking into her room. Five minutes later Tifa came out again, dressed in a simple white T-shirt and tight blue jeans. Cloud hugged her and smiled. "You look as great as always, Tifa." Tifa blushed to a deep shade of red. "Thanks, Cloud. You look handsome too." Cloud grinned and took her hand. "C'mon let's go." Tifa smiled at him broadly, and the couple left the house.

After a pretty long walk, the couple reached a little forest in the outskirts of Midgar. (A/N: Yes, I know there is no forest in the game, but this is MY fanfic, and I need a forest for it.) "You think there are wolfs in this forest?" Tifa asked Cloud. "Could be." Cloud answered. "Wanna go and look?" he asked grinning. "No, not really." Tifa answered, but then she saw the mischief glint in her lovers eyes and grinned. "Although, the forest sure is pretty lonely..." she thought out loud. "I see you get my thought." Cloud grinned, leading Tifa into the forest. He soon would regret this decision.

Cloud and Tifa laid in the high grass, kissing and caressing each other. "That was a very good idea you had." Tifa whispered to her lover. Cloud grinned and gently stroke her back. "Finally we have some time to be alone, without the danger that Cid or Yuffie butt in." he stated. Tifa laid her head on Clouds muscular chest and sighed. "That's good." Cloud laughed and patted her butt. "That's even better." he whispered before kissing her again. Then they heard the noise. It was a low growl, sounding dangerous and...hungry. "Cloud, did you hear that?" Tifa asked fearfully and quickly stood up, looking around. "Yeah, sounded like a dog or so." Cloud answered while getting to his feet. Tifa opened her mouth to say something else, and suddenly a huge grey wolf jumped out of the surrounding bushes and attacked Cloud.

Cloud fell to the ground with a shocked scream, the wolf on top of him. Tifa rushed to his aid, trying to kick the vicious animal. The wolfs head rushed down to bite Clouds throat, but the warrior managed to bring his arm up in time and the wolfs teeth sank deep into his forearm. "OUCH!" Cloud yelled, with blood streaming down his arm and on his white shirt. "You goddamn piece of dung!" Tifa kicked the wolf very hard, and it whimpered. But it didn't let go of Clouds arm. "Get off him, you beast!" Tifa screamed, she coiled her arms around the wolfs neck and started to choke him. Meanwhile Clouds eyes had rolled back into his head, so only white could be seen; the pain was too much for him. The wolf continued shaking his arm, and more blood ran on the already red coloured grass. Tifa increased the pressure on the wolfs throat, and finally it let go of it's victim and dashed off into the woods. "Cloud!" Tifa knelt down next to her lover and examined his hurt arm. The wolf had caused great damage; several muscles and sinews were torn, and white bone could be seen through all the blood. "Jesus Christ!" Tifa murmured while shaking Cloud, hoping to pull him back into reality. It was clear that he was in shock; his breathing was so fast that he was almost hyperventilating, and when Tifa checked his pulse he almost made it up to 200 beats per minute. "Cloud, please!" She shook him harder now, and then she just saw one way to tear him out of the world he had fled to from the pain. *SLAP!* The sound of the hit Tifa landed right into the face of her boyfriend echoed through the forest, and suddenly Clouds eyes rolled back in their natural position and he stared at her, wide-eyed. "Thank God." Tifa sighed in relief. "What...why..." Cloud stuttered. "You can ask later. First we must get you to a doctor." Tifa ordered. Cloud just nodded, and Tifa helped him getting to his feet. "Do you think you can walk?" she asked in her most gentle voice. Cloud nodded again, but suddenly his face turned all green and he vomited into the next bush. The blonde hero fell to his knees, gagging and choking. Tifa quickly knelt down next to him, gently stroking his back to comfort him. "You'll be okay, Cloud. Don't worry, everything is going to be fine." 


	2. First weird Events

First weird Events

First weird Events

__

Two weeks later

"Hey, Cloud, your arm heals pretty good." Cid stated while looking at the wound the wolf had inflicted to his friend. "Yeah, must be the mako." Cloud answered absent-minded. A funny smell reached his nostrils, and he inhaled it. "Hey, Cid, you've been smoking in here again? Tifa will kill you if she finds out." the blonde warrior told the pilot. "What are you talking about?" Cid asked curious. "I haven't been smoking in here since three weeks!" "But I can smell it." Cloud protested. "What?" Cid cried out. "Man, have you been taking @$%§$%%& drugs or what? Ask Tifa, I bet you just imagine that smell. I didn't smoke, I swear!" "Okay okay" Cloud sighed. "Maybe I'm just a little overtired. Never mind, Cid." He stood up and left the room. _"I could swear I smelt cigarettes." _he thought to himself before heading upstairs to Tifas room. He raised his hand to knock when the door opened and Tifa poked her head out. "Oh, hi Cloud. I thought I heard you coming up the stairs. You always rumble when walking up." Cloud smiled and kissed his girlfriend. "Need any help with dinner?" he asked good-natured. "Yeah, you could cut the carrots. Please?" "Sure honey." Cloud smiled and kissed Tifa once more before going down the stairs again, right into the kitchen. He readied the carrots and the knife and started to cut them, when suddenly the knife slipped and he cut his finger. "Ouch! Shit." Cloud cursed, looking at the small, not to deep wound. And suddenly the bleeding stopped, and the cut slowly closed. Clouds eyes grew wide; within a few seconds the cut had disappeared completely. Curious, Cloud took the knife and looked around. When he was sure that no one was about to come into the kitchen, he quickly cut his good forearm and watched the deep wound. Within two minutes, it closed. "That...is weird." Cloud murmurd. He shrugged it off and returned to cutting the carrots.

Later that evening, Cloud, Tifa, Cid and Yuffie sat in the living room. Cloud was reading the newspaper while Tifa and Yuffie played cards and Cid watched TV. The room was silent except for the constant gun sounds from the TV, until Cloud, without looking up from his newspaper, said: "Honey, your cell phone rings." Tifa looked up from her cards and listened. "I don't hear anything." she stated. "But it's ringing. Go and look." Cloud explained. "Okay then." Tifa went to her purse and got out her cell phone. On the display it read: "One missed call." Tifa checked the number only to find out that the caller had given up 5 seconds ago, then she checked the volume of the ringtone. It was on volume 1, which is very low. "Cloud, how could you hear that?" Tifa asked curious. "It's just on level one!" "I don't know." Cloud answered confused. "But I heard it. You have the Buffy-Theme as ringtone, don't you?" "Yeah...that is weird." Cloud just shrugged and returned his concentration on the newspaper. Tifa just stood there and looked at him, curiosity in her eyes.

Cloud let out a loud yawn and turned to look at Tifa. "Wanna go to bed, honey?" he asked. "Yeah, I'm tired too." Tifa answered. Cloud smiled at her, mouthing the words "Love you". "But not too tired." Tifa explained, grinning from ear to ear. "Oh no" Yuffie groaned, "they'll make little Clouds and Tifas again!" "No, I'm on the pill." Tifa giggled before leaving the room with Cloud. Yuffie and Cid looked at each other before banging their heads on the small table.

Cloud slowly undressed, while Tifa lay in the double sized bed and watched him. She really enjoyed to do this, to see the muscles move when Cloud opened his shirt button after button, then undid the belt and stepped out of his jeans, leaving them crumpled on the floor. "Come to me, my dear." Tifa begged him, and Cloud smiled before climbing into the bed. "Sure, honey." He laid down next to her and kissed her softly. "Wanna take that off?" he whispered, pulling gently at her night-shirt. "Sure" Tifa answered. Shortly afterwards the shirt fell to the floor, and the lights went out.


	3. Slight Changes

The next morning, Tifa walked down the stairs with a dreamy expression on her face

The next morning, Tifa walked down the stairs with a dreamy expression on her face. She went into the kitchen, singing to herself, what really surprised Yuffie. "Man, Tiff, you must have had a great night. You are beaming." the young ninja explained. "Well, Yuff, if you want to know..." Tifa started, but Yuffie interrupted her: "NO! I _don't_ want to know!" Tifa chuckled and started to ready the breakfast. Behind her the door opened and Cloud trotted in. "Morning." he greeted, before yawning loudly and propping down on the next chair. "What's for breakfast?" he asked. "I'm making pancakes." Tifa answered while readying the pan. "Just 20 more minutes, and they are ready." "Okay...ow!" Cloud suddenly cried out. "What's up?" Yuffie asked curious. "I have a toothache." Cloud established surprised. He rubbed his jaw and made a face. "Tifa, be so kind and gimme a mirror. Maybe I can see something." "Usually I don't have mirrors in the kitchen." Tifa answered smiling. "But there's one in the bathroom." Cloud stood up and walked over into the bathroom, taking a small mirror. He held it in a way that it reflected on the big mirror that was hanging and looked at his teeth. The mirror fell out of his hands and burst into thousands of splinters on the floor. "Oh my god." Cloud whispered. The reason why he was shocked was easy to explain: his molar teeth had grown longer and now looked like the teeth of a dog. Or a wolf.

"Tifa? Can...can you come here for a second?" Tifa noticed how shaky Clouds voice was, and she started to worry. "Yes...sure." she answered and followed her lover into the bathroom. "Look at this." Cloud begged her before opening his mouth wide. Tifa could see his teeth and backed away, shocked. "Cloud, that's...is this some kind of joke?" "No!" Cloud answered harshly. "It's not joke!" He sat down on the bathtub and hung his head low. "Tifa, something is going on with me. I hear things I'm not supposed to hear, and I smell things I'm not supposed to smell. And now this." He pointed at his jaw and looked at his girlfriend with desperation in his eyes. "Tifa, what's happening to me?" he asked, and Tifa realised that he was afraid. She sat down next to him and took his hand into hers. "I don't know, Cloud." she answered softly. "I wish I would, but I don't." Cloud sighed and stood up. "There's one more thing I want to show you." he said. He went over to the drawer and took out a razor blade. Before Tifa could stop him, he had sliced his leg with it. "Cloud, what are you..." She never got to finish the sentence. The wound on her lovers leg closed almost immediately. "Jesus Christ, Cloud..." Tifa whispered, deep in shock. Cloud threw the razorblade back into the drawer and sat down again. "What shall we do now?" he asked. "I don't know. Maybe you should see a doctor." Tifa answered. Cloud nodded, and suddenly he inhaled a deep breath. "Tifa, your pancakes are burning." he told his girlfriend. Tifa just nodded and walked into the kitchen. Cloud stayed where he was, staring at the wall.

Twenty minutes later he came out of the bathroom and sat down. Tifa shot him a worried glance; unfortunately, Yuffie noticed, and annoying as she sometimes was, she asked. "What's up, Spike? Something wrong?" "Leave me alone." Cloud muttered, pretending to read the newspaper. "Okay, I'll take that as yes. Did you fight with Tifa?" Yuffie asked. "I said leave me alone." Cloud shot back. "Hey, just bite me!" Yuffie yelled, angry because of his behaviour. And suddenly Cloud growled at her. It was a deep tone full of venom and anger. Tifa dropped the plate she was holding and it shattered into thousand pieces. Cloud gritted his teeth at Yuffie, who was backing away slowly. "Cloud, I...I didn't mean to..." It was clear that the ninja was afraid of her friend; she looked at him, and tears welled up in her eyes. Cloud slowly stood up from his chair and started to move towards Yuffie, teeth still gritted, and growling continuously. "Cloud...Cloud, please stop." Tifa begged her lover, getting hold of his arm. Clouds head shot around, and he looked at her. Tifa had never seen her lover like this before. The expression on his face wasn't human anymore, it was almost animalistic. His eyes, which normally looked at her full of warmth and love, now were full of hate and anger. "Don't touch me." Cloud growled, his voice low and deeper than usual. Behind him, Yuffie raised the frying pan Tifa had used to make pancakes. Tifa saw her one second too late. "Yuffie, don't!" she screamed, but it was useless. The pan crashed down on Clouds head, and he fell to the floor unconscious. 

"What do you think you are doing?" Tifa yelled at Yuffie. "You stupid @&$%§!!!" Yuffies jaw hit the floor. It was the first time she heard Tifa swear like that; until now, the worst word that came out Tifas mouth had been "Shit". Tifa knelt down next to Cloud and gently shook his shoulders. "Cloud, wake up!" she begged. Clouds eyelids started to flutter, and finally they opened. "What....what happened?" he asked, dizzy. "Nothing. You slipped and hit your head on the floor." Tifa explained. "Maybe you should lie down for a while. You could have a concussion." Cloud nodded and slowly got up, walking up into his bedroom.


	4. Full Moon

Full Moon

Full Moon

As soon as Cloud had disappeared into his room, Tifa turned back to Yuffie again. "Okay, Yuffie, I tell you this once and I won't tell you again. If I ever see you hitting Cloud with a pan or any other household appliance again, I'll kick you ass from here to next Sunday." she said in a very calm voice. "Is this clear?" "Yes." Yuffie answered. "But, he was growling at me! I though he'd really bite me!" Tifa sighed and took a seat. "Yuffie, sit down." she ordered. The young ninja shot her friend a worried glance before sitting down. "You remember when Cloud was bitten by the wolf?" Tifa asked. "Yeah...yeah, I do. But what has this to do with Clouds behaviour?" "I don't know." Tifa admitted. "But since then, Cloud hearing is supernatural. Also his smelling, and probably his eyes too. And his healing factor seems to be much higher than ours. I saw him slicing his leg today, and the wound healed within a few seconds. And...his molar teeth have changed." Tifa stopped talking when she saw the shocked expression on Yuffies face. "Tifa..." the ninja now said. "I think I know what's happening to him." "Yeah? Tell me." Yuffie took a deep breath, then she said: "From what you told me...it sounds as if Cloud is turning into a werewolf."

Tifas face went so pale that Yuffie feared she would drop unconscious the next second. "A werewolf?" the young bar hostess cried out. "This can't be! Werewolves don't exist!" "Tifa, listen." Yuffie begged. "In my hometown Wutai, grandparents use to tell naughty kids a story. I'll tell you this tale now, maybe it'll help." She took a deep breath before starting to talk. "You went to the forest near Midgar, didn't you?" Tifa just nodded. "Well," Yuffie continued, "as far as I remember, about one hundred years ago a pack of wolves lived in this forest. One day, a hunter – sorry, forgot his name – went to the forest to kill all the wolves. He managed to kill every single wolf, but with his murder, he had made the God who was the protector of the forest very angry. He punished the hunter with a curse, so he turned into a werewolf every time the moon's full. And when he killed the first time, he had to stay a real wolf forever. Every time he bites someone, the one who got bitten also is cursed." Tifa swallowed hard before asking: "And you think now Cloud is cursed?" "I'm afraid we'll find out very soon." Yuffie answered. "Tonight the moon is full, Tifa." 

The rest of the day was terrible for Tifa. She feared the moment the moon came out, almost as much as she had feared Sephiroth five years ago. Cloud noticed that she was unusually stiff around him, and asked her what was wrong. He didn't remember growling at Yuffie at all; his memory had stopped when he had told her to leave him alone, and started again when he had woken up on the floor. "It's nothing." Tifa lied. "Tifa, when I'm around you, you behave as if I had a deadly disease." Cloud told her. "Don't say that nothing's wrong." Tifa just sighed. "Everything is okay, Cloud. I...just have a headache, that's all." Cloud decided not to bugger her anymore and turned the TV on. Tifa looked out of the window and saw that the moon was about to rise. She reached into her pocket and clutched the electric shocker she normally kept in her purse, in case somebody would try to rape her. Suddenly Cloud doubled over in his chair and moaned. "Cloud?" Tifa asked concerned. "Are you okay?" Cloud stood up and turned around to her. Tifa stepped back in shock. A thick beard covered her lovers face, and his teeth grew long. The normally thin hairs on his forearm started to grow, until they were almost fur-like. Cloud grabbed his shirt and tore it from his body. The skin from his neck to waist was covered by dark, almost black hair. His usually spiky blonde hair grew longer until it combined itself with the beard on his cheeks. Cloud let out a loud growl and took a step towards Tifa. Tifa quickly pulled the shocker out and tried to shock Cloud with it, but when she pressed the button, the only effect was a little "Bzzt" and then it was over. "Damn!" Tifa cursed. "I should've checked the battery..." Before she could react, Cloud hit her hard across the face. The blow was so strong that Tifa was thrown across the room until the wall stopped her. To her luck, Yuffie and Cid heard the crash and ran into the room. "Oh holy _shit!" _Cid called out when he saw the werewolf jumping at Tifa. He reacted fast and tackled the monster, not knowing that it was his best friend Cloud. "Cid..." Tifa moaned while trying to get to her feet. "Don't...kill him..." She fell to the floor again. Yuffie pulled out a hypodermic needle that was filled with a very strong tranquilliser. "Cid, get a hold of him!" she yelled. Somehow Cid managed to grab the werewolf around the neck and keep him still as long as Yuffie needed. Yuffie quickly stuck the needle into Clouds arm and injected the tranquilliser. Cloud started to thrash wildly, but his movements got slower and slower until he fell to the floor unconscious. Yuffie hurried to Tifa, who was sitting on the floor trying to breath. When she had crashed against the wall, she had hit her solar plexus, and now she was breathing in short, flat tries to get air into her lungs. "Tifa! Are you okay?" Tifa nodded while her breathing slowed down a little bit. The left side of her face was already swelling and turning to a dark shade of crimson. Meanwhile, Cid ran into the cellar to get a few chains so they could tie Cloud up. Yuffie helped Tifa to her feet and asked: "Did he bite you?" "No." Tifa answered. Cid returned with the chains and started to chain his friend to a stable chair. "Tomorrow morning he'll be back to normal." Yuffie promised. Cid finished the chaining work and turned to Tifa and Yuffie. "Okay, girls, and now tell me what the fuck happened." he commanded. 


	5. Breaking Free

Breaking free

Breaking free

After Tifa and Yuffie explained the events to Cid, the pilot was shocked. "You mean this @§%&$ beast over there is actually _Cloud_?" "Watch your mouth, Cid, you are talking about my man here." Tifa told the pilot while Yuffie was busy with putting healing salve on her friends swollen face. Sometimes Tifa would flinch when Yuffie brought too much pressure on the bruise, and Yuffie would apologise. Cid had to sit down and looked at the unconscious werewolf again. "I can't believe it." he stated. "Look at his neck." Tifa told him. Cid walked over to Cloud and took a close look at his neck. The thin gold chain Tifa had given him for his 24th birthday was glistening in the light. The dragon-shaped pendant on it was proof enough for Cid. "Dear God." the pilot breathed, too stunned for swearing. "First I thought you two," he looked at Tifa and Yuffie, "are on drugs or sumthin', but now...scary." Cid went back to his seat and stared at Tifa. "Unbelievable." "But true." Yuffie explained. She finally finished tending to Tifas face and looked at Cloud. "The tranquilliser is rather strong. He should keep him out cold for the rest of the...." The ninjas words were interrupted by a low growl that came from Cloud. "Or maybe not." Yuffie said. Just then Cloud broke the chains and attacked Cid.

Later Tifa couldn't tell what had happened exactly. She just remembered Cid flying out of the window and Yuffie crashing against the door before she found herself lying on the floor, with the growling werewolf bending over her. "Cloud....Cloud, please...stop..." Tifa tried to talk to her boyfriend, but either Cloud didn't want to understand or he couldn't. He growled at her again and bared his teeth which looked as if he could bite Tifas head off with one snap. Hot tears welled up in Tifas eyes as she continued to beg. "Cloud, I love you...don't do this, please..." The tears started to run down her cheeks. Cloud stared at her with salvia dripping from his hairy chin. "Oh dear God, no..." Tifa sobbed desperate. "I love you Cloud...I love you..." She continued to say those three words as if they were a chant to stop the werewolf from killing her. And suddenly, the expression in Clouds eyes changed. The hate slowly faded to be replaced by...recognising. Tifa decided to hold on now, maybe she could get Cloud into turning back to normal, or at least to be a good werewolf. "Cloud, remember our first date." Tifa started. Cloud growled, and she changed the term. Not knowing what to say, Tifa hugged him. He gave a growl, but to Tifa it sounded surprised instead of threatening. "You'll be okay, Cloud. I promise you'll be..." Her words were interrupted by a terrible ripping sound and a painful howl from Cloud. Tifa looked up in shock, just to see Cid standing behind the werewolf. His spear was plunged deep into Clouds back. _"No!" _Tifa screamed while Cid pulled the spear out. The wound closed immediately, due to Clouds increased healing factor, and Cloud quickly turned round to face the pilot. But instead of attacking him, he just let out a low growl before jumping out of the window and dashing off into the darkness. _"Cloud!" _Tifa yelled. "Come back! Please, come back!" She turned round to Cid and glared at him. "See what you did? Cloud's out there now! God knows what will happen to him!" !I'm sorry." Cid mumbled. "But I though he was attacking you...it looked as if you would try to fight him off or something like that." "It's okay." Tifa finally said. "I just hope no one sees Cloud and tries to kill him."

The next morning, Tifa found Cloud in the garden, asleep under a tree. His blue jeans were completely torn, his bare chest was covered in blood, and some of the red liquid was smeared around his mouth. Tifa knelt down next to him and gently shook his shoulders. "Cloud, wake up!" Cloud moaned and opened his eyes to look at her. "What...what happened?" "I'll tell you inside the house. Come on, get up." She pulled him to his feet and guided him into the house. To her relief, she found out that it wasn't Clouds blood that covered him; but on the other hand that fact also made her worry. If it wasn't the blood of her lover, whose was it then? Tifa told Cloud to take a shower while she turned on the radio. "A dead deer was found this morning near the Midgar forest. The called vet told us that the deer was killed by a wolf." Tifa cut the announcer short by turning the radio off and sighed in big relief. Cloud hadn't killed any people. Behind her the door opened and a soaking wet Cloud entered the living room. Tifa greeted him with a smile, but Cloud didn't return it. "Tifa, I want you to tell me everything that happened last night." he begged her. Tifa told him to sit down, also took a seat and started to talk.


	6. 

Searching for a Solution

Searching for a Solution

"So I'm a werewolf." Cloud stated after Tifa finished her explanation. "Yes, I'm afraid you are." she answered. "Did I...do this to you?" Cloud asked, gently brushing a finger over Tifa's bruised face. Tifa just nodded, and Cloud looked down on his feet. "I'm sorry." he said softly. "Hey." Tifa took his hand into hers. "It wasn't you. It was that wolf inside you, but not you. You would never hurt me, and I know that." "Thanks." Cloud gave her a look full of love and warmth, and Tifa smiled at him happily. Suddenly the door flew open, and Cid butted in. "Hey pal! You @$&%§ freaked me out last night!" "Sorry Cid." Cloud sighed. "I got an idea!" Cid said frantically. "We could lock Cloud up in the cellar when his time of the month is coming." "Yeah, and he will break down the door and run off into the wood again." Yuffie answered, walking into the room. "Of course we'll have to make a steel door, silly" Cid yelled at the young ninja. "And Cloud will bang against it all night and keep us awake? Forget it." Tifa answered. Cloud snorted. "Okay, guys, could you _please _stop talking about me as if I wasn't in the room? What about locking me up in the cellar and chaining me to the wall or something like that?" "No no no." Tifa told her boyfriend. "I sure won't chain you up. That didn't work last night." Cloud gave a deep sigh. "Then what shall we do?" The room was completely silent until Yuffie said: "There might be a way to get rid of the wolf inside you." "Yeah? So tell me." Cloud begged. "There's an old witch living in Wutai. Maybe she knows how to do it." "Good. Pack your things, we travel to Wutai." Cloud ordered, his leader nature breaking through. The other three nodded and dashed off.

Soon the quartet found itself on board of the Highwind, with Cid on the steering wheel and cursing like hell. He had managed to do the unimaginable: forget his cigarettes. "I hope there's a @&$§%& tobacco shop in your stinky little town!" the pilot yelled at Yuffie, who was almost rolling on the floor with laughter. Meanwhile, Cloud and Tifa had sneaked off into the operation room. Tifa was sitting on the table, Cloud stood in front of her and they were really busy with tongue-wrestling (A/N: I love this word!). Finally Tifa broke the kiss and looked at her lover, smiling. "I love you, Cloud." "I love you too." he answered with a big goofy-grin on his face. Cloud raised a hand and gently stroke Tifas cheek. "Since I saw you the first time." he whispered before leaning in for a kiss. One second before their lips met, Yuffie butted in. "We are here...oh...." the ninja trailed off. Cloud and Tifa both had blushed to a very deep shade of red. "Get outta here!" Cloud bellowed. "Can't you knock before entering a room?" "Sorry!" Yuffie yelled back. "Calm down, both of you!" Tifa ordered them. "Let's go to that witch."

Cloud knocked the old wooden door, and inside a husky, even older voice could be heard: "Come in, werewolf." Clouds eyebrows went up and he shot Tifa a glance before opening the door and entering the small house. "Welcome, werewolf." the witch greeted him. "Who says I'm a werewolf?" Cloud asked. "I can feel the presence of the wolf in you. And my cat hid under the desk." The old woman grinned at Cloud. "Please sit down. I'm Celeste, and how are you?" "I'm Cloud, and this is my girlfriend, Tifa." The two of them took a seat, and Cloud started to talk. He told the witch about the wolf that had bitten him, about the increasing of his senses and about himself turning into a werewolf. "I see." the witch said after he had finished talking. "Well, there's no way to get the wolf out of you, Cloud." Tifas head propped down, and the witch hastily continued. "But you can try to keep it under control." "How?" Cloud asked curious. "Take this." Celeste handed him a leather necklace with a round pendant dangling from it. "What's this?" Cloud asked, eyeing the pendant carefully as if it could bite him. "It's a talisman called Wolf's Heart. It'll keep the wolf weak, so it won't be able to break out." "Hm. And it works?" The witch chuckled. "I dunno. Never tried it before." Tifa gave hr lover a worried look, but he shrugged it off and took the necklace. "What do I owe you?" "Nothing, son. Just tell me if it worked after next full moon." the witch smiled. "Okay. Thank you." Cloud grinned at Celeste and left the house together with Tifa. 

A/N: OK, this is short...sorry bout that. But I didn't have much time to write due to nasty exams :-P Next chapter will be longer, I promise *gives puppy look* Please don't be mad. 

Yours truly

Cloud D.


	7. Fighting the Wolf

Fighting the Wolf

Fighting the Wolf

"I think it's time soon." Cloud told Tifa, the pendant dangling from his neck. It was almost a month since he had received it from the witch named Celeste, and now the moon was full again. "Do you think it will work?" Tifa asked, a worried tone in her voice. "I don't know. I hope it does. It's not fun to wake up with hurting jaws and covered in blood....and it's also not fun to wake up and find out that you beat your girlfriend." Cloud answered. He still blamed himself for what he had done to Tifa the first time he had turned into a werewolf, although Tifa kept telling him that it wasn't his fault. Cloud slid the pendant under his shirt so it rested on his chest and took a seat, glancing out of the window from time to time. Tifa sat down next to him and took his hand. "It will work, Cloud." "Yeah, I hope so. Besides, where are Cid and Yuffie?" "Gone to the cinema." Cloud looked down. "They didn't want to stay around me tonight, did they?" Tifa quickly decided not to lie to him and answered: "They were afraid. Last time you threw Cid out of the window." "I did?? How come you never told me?" "Uhm, see..." Tifa stuttered. She was interrupted by Cloud suddenly gripping his head. "Cloud? Are you alright?" When he didn't response, Tifa got very worried. "Cloud? Cloud! Answer me!" she frantically told him while shaking his shoulders. "Hurts..." Cloud groaned. Tifa didn't answer. Instead her eyes grew wide. "Cloud, you're growing a beard." Cloud looked up to her before touching his cheek. His expression turned to horror when he felt the thick fur on it. "Run, Tifa." he told his girlfriend. "It's not working. _Run!" _Tifa quickly jumped up and dashed from the room. Behind her, a low growling sound could be heard, and then the pendant hit the wall next to her. "Damn old witch" Tifa muttered while smashing the door close and quickly locking it. The next second, Cloud crashed against the door. Tifa hurried over to the cupboard and tried to push it in front of the door. It wouldn't move a millimetre. Meanwhile the door was shaking like crazy, and the bangs on it from the other side got louder and harder. Tifa leaned against the cupboard with all her might, and slowly she managed to push it in front of the door. Inside, Clouds maniac growling could be heard, then he let out a loud, aggressive howl. Tifa leaned against the cupboard that stood in front of the door and let out a heavy sigh. _"What am I supposed to do now?" _she wondered. _"What if Cloud breaks the window and runs off?" _Suddenly Tifas thoughts were interrupted by unexpected silence. She raised an eyebrow and removed the cupboard a little bit to spy through the keyhole. Cloud was sitting in front of the fireplace, staring at the flames like hypnotised. "What the hell..." Tifa murmured, then realisation struck her. "He's more wolf than human...fire must fascinate him." Tifa removed the cupboard completely and poked her head through the door. Cloud heard her and turned his hairy head to look at her. Tifa gulped fearful, but her lover didn't do anything. He just sat there and stared at her, then he did something Tifa never would've expected: he started to wag his tail (His wolf tail of course). Tifa eyes grew wide when Cloud got to his feet and ran over to her. He knelt down and looked up at her, his tongue hanging from his mouth and his tail wagging like crazy. Tifa hastily entered the room and eyed her lover carefully. Then she slowly reached out to scratch him behind his left ear gently. Cloud immediately rolled on his back and looked at Tifa, his tongue still hanging out of his mouth. Tifa chuckled and started to scratch his stomach. Cloud let out a satisfied growl. _"That is weird." _Tifa thought to herself. _"Maybe the pendant _did _work, but it didn't kill the wolf, it just made him more...doglike." _Suddenly an image came to her mind, and she chuckled. In front of her inner eye, she could see werewolf-Cloud running after a stick she had thrown away for him. "You hungry?" she asked her lover. Cloud looked at her questioning. Tifa got up and went into the kitchen; she soon returned with a huge piece of raw meat. "There you go, boy." she smiled at Cloud before throwing the meat over to him. Cloud jumped at it and immediately began to tear bits from it and swallowing them with big gulps. Tifa knelt down next to him, watching him eat and stroking his soft fur. Suddenly the front door opened, and shortly afterwards Cid poked his head in. His eyes bulged out at what he saw. "Man, Tifa! How did you do that?" the pilot asked, too stunned to swear. Tifa softly chuckled. "It wasn't me, it was the pendant." "That's @$&%§ cool! Hey, do you think if I throw a stick he'll run after it?" "Cid! That would be mean." Tifa scolded her friend, not telling him that she had had the same thought just five minutes ago. "Just a thought." Cid defended himself, already looking for something he could throw. Yuffie entered the room and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Cloud sitting on the floor eating his meat and Tifa stroking him. "What's going on?" she asked curious. Tifa quickly explained what had happened, and Yuffie wondered: "If I throw a stick, will he go get it?" "Why is everyone asking that?" Tifa cried out. "This is still Cloud! Don't forget that! And I won't let you throw sticks and watch my man run after them!" Cid and Yuffie both cracked up with laughter. Tifa got angry, grabbed the broom that was sitting next to the door and threw it after Cid who quickly dodged. Cloud on the other hand started to bark and ran after the broom. Cid and Yuffie stared at him for a second before cracking up again. "He...ran...after...it...." Yuffie managed to say between her giggles. Tifa just sat down and propped her head in her hands. "I. Can't. Believe. It." she stated. But, if she was honest to herself, she was happy that the pendant had made Cloud less dangerous, and she vowed to herself that she would visit Celeste the next day to thank her.

THE END!!!


End file.
